
Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon says he is a target of #MeToo movement
MONTRÉAL — Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon says the nine women suing him for sexual assault have formed a coalition motivated by money, and claims he has become a symbol of the #MeToo movement.
The cross-examination of the disgraced former comedy mogul began Wednesday at his civil trial in Montreal, where he’s being sued in Superior Court for nearly $14 million.
He told the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Bruce Johnston, that the women had “invented a truth” for the sake of “huge financial gain.” Stopping short of accusing the plaintiffs of a conspiracy, Rozon referred to them as Johnston’s “associates” instead of his clients, since they had all agreed to share the proceeds if the court ruled in their favour.
Justice Chantal Tremblay immediately called Rozon to order, instructing him to refer to the women as “the plaintiffs.”